Objective Canada as World Cup looms amid FIFA scandal

The Panini stickers are ready and a football video game featuring international women`s teams has been unveiled for the first time as Canada gets set to host the FIFA Women`s World Cup in a week`s time.

The scandal engulfing FIFA might be stealing global headlines but that has not dimmed the buzz as teams arrive for the tournament which gets under way at Edmonton`s 56,000-seater Commonwealth Stadium on June 6 when hosts Canada play China.

"Hello Toronto .. Great to be finally here with the team!" tweeted England captain Stephanie Houghton after arriving before taking on Canada in a final warm-up game in Hamilton on Friday.

The 24-nation tournament runs until July 5 in six cities -- Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Moncton and Montreal.

Cameroon were the first to jet into Vancouver where they play their Group C matches in BC Place Stadium along with defending champions Japan, Switzerland and Ecuador, who all arrive this week.

France fly to Quebec on Sunday after warming up with a third friendly win against Scotland on Thursday night, with their first match against England in Moncton on June 9.

"Beautiful win by the team just before we leave ... It feels good. Thanks for the messages of support #ObjectifCanada @equipedefrance," tweeted France`s Marie-Laure Delie after scoring the only goal against the Scots in Nancy.

As part of the buildup FIFA and official licensee Electronic Arts announced that 12 women`s teams will feature in a video game Fifa 2016. Until now only men`s teams have appeared on the popular EA Sports game first released in 1993.

The news generated great excitement among the players.

"Finally it happened! @EASPORTSFIFA include me and my @england teammates in the new #FIFA16 Can`t Wait!," said Houghton.

"We`re in the next FIFA 2016! Everyone to your playstations," ordered France defender Sabrina Delannoy.An objective of 1.5 million tickets has been set for the 52 matches, Canada Soccer General Secretary Peter Montopoli said, with a target of one million before the tournament starts.

"Momentum is a big word, when you run these kind of tournaments that last a number of days," Montopoli.

"The key momentum driver is the home country doing well, and people getting behind the competition."

Interest has been particularly strong from cross-border American fans, with sales brisk in far flung Winnipeg, when former two-time champions the USA open against Australia on June 8.

A double header on June 12 featuring Australia versus Nigeria and the USA versus Sweden have sold out in the city of 633,000 inhabitants.

The gold medal final in Vancouver`s 54,000-seater stadium on July 5 has also sold out and more than 40,000 tickets snapped up for the USA clash against African champions Nigeria there on June 16.

In Ottawa, interest has been strong particularly in the quarter-final, but ticket sales in Montreal and Moncton have been slower.

Tournament officials insisted that the current controversy swirling around FIFA will "not impact the competition" as they vowed to protect "the integrity of the game".

"We are positive that the 30 days of competition will bring exciting soccer to all fans in Canada and around the world," the organisation said in a statement.

Brazil, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden and the United States have qualified for all seven Women`s World Cups, including 2015, with this the first tournament - men`s of women`s - to be played on artifical turf.

Eight teams are making their debuts -- Cameroon, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand.